


It isn't as complicated as we thought

by starlightsmusings



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 16:52:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9194270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightsmusings/pseuds/starlightsmusings
Summary: They had been dancing around the subject of what exactly the two of them were for too long now.





	

Yuri could feel every single muscle in his leg protest as he tried to push himself further into a split. He knew his physical therapist would have a cow if he saw him, but whatever. He had been the one to say that Yuri could finally return to the ballet studio anyways.

 

He pushed himself a tiny bit further, for once grateful of how much he had grown since his injury, so he could grab his phone. ‘Officially-Retired’ Victor had sent him (and probably a few others) a picture of him and his latest student (some blonde kid that Yuri knew he had met at some point) with the caption ‘First training session of the season!’.It was only about 10 minutes since the picture was sent, and had probably been taken hours earlier, but Yuri was willing to bet that the kid was already regretting his decision. Victor may not have had the most amount of coaching experience, but he knew how to push people to their limits. Or at least he pushed Yuri to his limits for the two years he trained under him.

 

His leg twinged again as he tried to flatten it against the floor. He could barely remember a time where he couldn’t do a near-perfect split. If anything, he used to naturally go into some form of split when he had to sit for any length of time. Now he knew that his left leg would be back in a splint if he pushed it too far. So he shifted himself so his left leg wasn’t stretched out as he continued to go through his feed.

 

Nothing was too out of the normal. Other-Yuri had taken a picture of his students, Phichit looked like he was all dressed up for an ice show, Mila had posed progress pictures of hers and Sara’s house, and Isabella was posting more and more updates on the twins (he had hidden JJ from his feed long ago because he posted at least 10 times as much as his wife).

 

A new notification popped up on his phone, followed quickly by another.

 

 

 

> **Beka: why did you convince me to get a cat**

 

Yuri started laughing when he saw the picture that Otabek sent him. One of the chairs that Otabek had kept all (or, probably most) of the stuffed bears he had received from family and friends, now had an extra tabby cat sleeping quite content in the middle of it.

 

 

 

> **Beka: I was searching for her for hours and then this is where i find her**

 

 

 

> **Yuri: it is a comfortable spot**
> 
>  

It was right next to a window, so the sun always hit it just right, and since Otabek had a tendency to forget to clear off the spare bed (or in many cases, didn’t know he had to clear it off), Yuri had gotten to enjoy an afternoon nap in the sun plenty of times when he visited.

 

 

 

> **Yuri: unlike this**

 

He snapped a quick picture to prove his point. His left leg was still tucked below him, and his right was fully stretched out, though most of that was blocked due to his hair that was now down to his waist when standing. A very blank and artificially lit dance studio was a far cry from a comfortable couch in the sun.

 

 

 

> **Beka: They finally let you back in the studio? That’s good.**
> 
> **: Don’t overstretch though. We don’t need you back in a brace.**

 

Yuri put his phone to the side again. They would talk later anyways. Now, he wanted to test and see how much he could still do after a year out of the studio.

* * *

 

“You were at the studio yesterday, weren’t you?”

 

“What of it?”

 

“Yurochka, you’ll hurt yourself again.” Nickolai made a pointed look at the leg that had a temporary brace on it.

 

“My doctor wants me to wear this a few days of the week,” he said, shifting his weight to attempt to hide his leg from his grandfather’s sight. “And he even encouraged me to go back to the studio. He said it should do me good to get moving again.”

 

They continued getting dinner ready in an awkward silence. Yuri knew that his grandfather thought that his injury was somehow his fault when it really wasn’t. Yuri had moved to Japan so Victor could coach him for a second year, and Yuri had been trying to perfect a jump sequence. Victor had even told him to stop--he was pushing himself too far.  He had yelled back that he was fine, and overspun the next jump. There had been a strange sting of pain up his leg when he fell, but he brushed it off, wrapped it up, and put ice on it when he got back to his room. He thought nothing of it when it was still sore the next day. And the day after. And then, during a simple warm-up jump, his leg gave out on the landing.

 

The following week had passed in a blur. The doctors had mainly spoken Japanese and broken English, but he got the general message: Even if his Grandfather was the one who introduced him to skating, it was his own fault he wasn’t going to be competitively skating again.

* * *

 

The evening came and went, just like the next few weeks that followed. He had physical therapy twice a week, and would go to the dance studio on the other days when he knew no one else would be there. He would sometimes eat lunch at his own apartment, and sometimes eat at one of the local restaurants depending on his mood, and normally use that time to catch up on the daily gossip on his different social networks. He did get the occasional fan who found him when he was running errands in the afternoons. Yuri gave them a fake smile, a quick autograph, and sometimes a picture if he felt like it before continuing his errands.

 

 

> **Yuri: beka i need a change**
> 
> **: i’m so bored**

His fingers hovered over his phone, still deciding if he should continue.

 

_Fuck it._

 

 

> **Yuri: can i visit?**

 

His heart was beating much too fast after sending it. It was probably because it was normally Otabek who had visited him, not the other way around. (He knew it wasn’t).

 

 

> **Beka: when were you thinking?**

 

The moment he got home, he started looking up flights to Kazakhstan. By the end of the week, he was impatiently waiting for the flight to land.

 

* * *

 

His knee was bothering him from being cramped in the small space for so long, and he had to awkwardly bend himself when he got up to not hit the ceiling of the plane (something he was still not used to), and was positive that every single person was moving as slow as they possibly could.

 

Otabek had greeted him with a small smile and wave, and an extra helmet in his other hand.

 

“You’ve gotten taller.”

 

Last time they saw each other, they were eye-to-eye. Yuri had at least a couple of inches on Otabek now.

 

“Side effect of not constantly training. So there’s hope for you yet, shrimp.”

 

Otabek let out a small laugh before turning to where the exit was. “Maybe I should leave you here then.”

 

“Rude,” Yuri teased, easily catching up to Otabek, and following him to where his motorcycle was. Yuri adjusted himself and his bag was with practiced ease, and it wasn’t long until the two of them reached their destination.

* * *

 

“Tasha!” The blond clicked his tongue a few times when he walked in the door.

 

“Sure, she’ll come to you when you call her,” Otabek grumbled as he moved into the room. “Traitor.”

 

“She missed me.” He held up the loudly purring cat in his arms to prove his point. He missed not having his own cat at his own apartment (stupid 'no pets' policies), so he spoiled Tasha whenever he visited. “Haven’t you girl?”

 

Tasha just continued to purr and press her face into Yuri.

 

* * *

 

Just getting out of his apartment was nice, he decided as he was stretched out on his favorite couch in the whole apartment with Tasha happily sleeping at his side. No appointments to go to, no errands to run, just relaxing in the sun on a comfortable couch.

 

“Did you really end up sleeping out here?” Otabek appeared from around the corner. “I do have a spare room, you know.”

 

“It’s comfortable,” Yuri mumbled into one of the many bears that surrounded him.

 

A moment of silence is quickly filled with a mix of a surprised shriek and laughter.

 

“Beka! Beka, stop!” He’s breathless and there’s tears in his eyes as Otabek surprised him with a tickle fight, obviously deciding that Yuri was too comfortable. He hears Otabek start to laugh in response. It’s softer and deeper than Yuri’s, but it’s infectious.

 

After a few minutes, both had given up the tickle fight and they somehow ended up laying down with his head on Otabek’s shoulder, and one of his arms draped over Otabek’s stomach. He could feel the other man’s fingers run through his hair, practically lulling him back to sleep.

 

Otabek cursed when his phone made a noise, which caused him to shift from under Yuri. “It’s my coach. I gotta--”

 

“Beka, we talked about this. Go to practice.” Yuri saw the look of concern flash across his face. “It’s fine. I’ll be here until you get back.”

 

He nodded in response, and gathered his things before heading out the door.

 

In a way, Yuri was glad to see him leave. Things were once again crossing that fine line they had been walking for years. Yuri would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted the older man and had been for quite some time. It had been easier to deal with before the accident. They saw each other a few times a year in person, normally during the off-season and occasionally at competitions, and kept in contact via text messages and skype. Yuri could shut up whatever emotions he was feeling by spending more time at the rink or the dance studio. He could practice until his only thoughts were what was the next step in the sequence or how far he could stretch his body.

 

At the time, he knew that they were both so busy that a relationship just wasn’t in the picture. Other-Yuri and Victor, along with many others, were living proof that couples that were both athletes rarely had time for each other. Victor had gone back to coaching after a year of his so-called return, and other-Yuri lasted another year before becoming an instructor in his hometown so they could actually spend time together outside of training. Many other couples only lasted a few months before deciding that the conflicting schedules wasn't worth the energy. Mila had a long list of previous partners that fit into that category. (Sara had almost fallen in that group too, but the two of them had somehow made it work).

 

But now that Yuri was no longer competing, things had gotten tricky. Otabek had been one of the first ones who saw him in the hospital, and had spent a couple of extra days there much to his coach’s dismay. (Yuri knew he would have stayed longer if he hadn’t yelled at him to get back to practice so he could win gold for him). Which then meant that Yuri a lot of time to think about the feelings that he had been pushing out of his mind. Everything had hit him like a ton of bricks. Every skype call, every quick meet-up between competitions, every funny cat video at 2 AM when neither could sleep. It was the cafes they would find when they would explore the cities. The motorcycles rides that let them escape from everything for a bit. The drawers that each of them had at the other’s apartment full of their own things.

 

He had wanted to avoid the other man so he could let his emotions run their course. He had tried convincing himself that they would go away if he didn't see or hear anything relating to Otabek, but they had been so interwoven in each others lives over the past few years that Yuri only lasted a few weeks before giving in and calling Otabek to just see how training was going.

 

He made a promise to himself that he was going to wait to mention any feelings until things had calmed down for both of them. He didn’t want Otabek to completely mess up the season all because Yuri decided to open his big mouth.

 

* * *

 

Yuri had surprised everyone by showing up to the GPF only a few months after his accident. He wasn’t fully healed by any means, and he hated having all the pitying eyes on him, but it was all worth it when he saw Otabek’s surprised and excited face. When they had talked the previous week, Otabek had let it slip that he doubted his mother or sister were going to be there, and that his coach’s partner was due any day now to have their kid, so he was nervous thinking about how he might have no one to help him get through the competition.

 

The tabloids had run rampant, saying how they were the latest power couple or that Yuri was following Victor’s footsteps. It really didn’t help that Otabek’s coach ended up leaving right before his final performance due to a call from the hospital saying that the kid was on it’s way, and Yuri had offered to sit at the Kiss and Cry so he wouldn’t have to deal with the reporters on his own.

 

The reporters had run through the normal questions that Yuri had already answered multiple times while Otabek had been getting ready. No, he wasn’t planning on returning to professional skating. By the time he healed and got back to training, he would be too far behind. Yes, his injury was healing nicely and he should be out of the massive brace soon. Yes, he did wish he was out on the ice but there wasn't much he could do about it now. He offered no comment as to why he had shown up for Otabek rather than someone from his own country.

 

Otabek’s performance had been stunning. Yuri had wanted to run up and hug him when he had stepped out of the rink, but his leg hadn’t cooperated with him, so he offered a quick congrats and a shy hand to hold as they nervously waited for the results.

 

To many, Otabek’s face barely changed when his results were announced. Yuri knew better. Otabek’s brown eyes had a brighter shine to them, there was a small upturn to his lips, and his grasp on both the bear in his lap and Yuri’s hand had gotten tighter with excited shaking. Otabek would excitedly ramble about it later when the words he wanted had formed sentences, but for now he was just going to let the fact that he had scored a personal best sink in.

 

They skipped the banquet that night, which ended up causing even more rumors. Neither of them cared though. Celebrating Otabek’s gold by driving around the city with just the two of them was ten times better than going to any party.

* * *

 

If there was one thing Yuri hadn’t missed about competitive skating was all the paparazzi and obnoxious fans. They had somehow managed to miss most of them at the GPF, but being in the heart of the city where the current top male skater was training meant that they were rarely left alone once they left the apartment.  

 

“I’m sorry about all of this,” Otabek said as they rode around on the bike, attempting to lose the last few who were following them. “You came here to relax and instead you have to put up with _them_.”

 

“At least they aren’t another ‘Yuri’s Angels.’” He shuddered at the memory. There were still a few around, but most of them had abandoned him for someone else sometime between his accident and his latest growth spurt. “I wouldn’t have minded if we had stayed at the restaurant.”

 

“It’s an annoyance we don’t need.” Otabek didn’t like to open up to many people which meant he did whatever he could do avoid talking to paparazzi or fans unless his coach was requiring it.

 

So they continued to ride around the different streets of Almaty until Otabek had decided it was safe enough for them to eat at one of the small cafes that were tucked away on a side street that Yuri would have never have gone down. Either way the food was good and it took Otabek out of the sour mood he was in, and that’s all that really mattered to him.

* * *

 

“My mom said that she would love seeing you while you’re here if you don’t mind going to the outskirts of Almaty.”

 

The movie that they had put on was quietly playing in the background as neither of them were particularly interested in it. The only reason it was still playing was because of how comfortable the two were on Otabek’s bed. Pillows had been gathered from most of the rooms so they could have pillows behind them and beside them. Otabek had put his head against Yuri’s shoulder awhile ago and hadn’t bothered to move it, and Yuri had returned the favor by leaning his head against Otabek's.

 

“She hasn’t seen you since….”

 

“Since my fall.” Besides the surprise visit at the GPF, Yuri hadn't left Moscow.  He didn't want to deal with most people on a normal day, much less when he was in an early forced retirement due to a busted leg. 

 

“She missed you.” _I missed you_. “I managed to convince my coach to let me have the next two days off so if you wanted to we could see her.”

 

He thought about it. Otabek’s mom was quiet like her son, which is probably why he liked her almost right away, and she was a great cook, but she always had a look on her face that made Yuri feel like she knew what exactly he was thinking. And considering how his thoughts had been revolving around the same thing, or rather _person_ ,  he knew he was going to get even more questions than normal.

 

“Yuri, what are you thinking so hard about?”

 

“What are we?”

 

 _Shit._ He felt Otabek tense against him. He knew he should have held his tongue. But once again his mouth was three steps ahead of his brain.

 

It was eons later when Otabek had shifted himself into a sitting position facing Yuri, who in turn shifted so he was sitting more upright.

 

“What do you want us to be?” Otabek’s voice was hesitant. The words he wanted had been taking too long to form, and knew that if he took to long saying anything, the blond in front of him would shut himself away.

 

“I don’t want to lose you.” There goes his mouth again. Yuri knew he was bright red by how hot his cheeks and ears felt.

 

Yuri was shocked when he heard soft laughter from the other man.

 

“You could never lose me.” Otabek reached up and brushed Yuri’s long hair out of his face, his fingers lingering there for an extra moment. “Promise.”

 

“I don’t want to be just friends.”

 

“Then we won’t be.” He made it sound like it would be easiest thing in the world. And maybe it would be. “We’ll call our outings ‘dates’ from now on _._ ” His hand trembled slightly against Yuri’s cheek. “And I’ll kiss you. A lot. If you let me.”

 

It wasn’t as awkward as Yuri had expected it to be to kiss his best friend (or maybe he should start saying ‘boyfriend’?). If anything, the kiss filled him with warmth. He wanted it again and again until the two somehow managed to lay back down and simply look at each other. He could tell both were bursting at the seams with a newfound giddiness and yet completely exhausted from the day.

 

Tomorrow. He would tell the world tomorrow about how Otabek was his, and only his. They would take the obnoxious selfies that every couple they knew took. Otabek’s barely used instagram would be filled with pictures of him and Yuri, and Yuri would gladly upload a few to Facebook just to show off. They would have to turn their phones off to ignore all of the notifications and calls and texts they would both get, which would be fine because they would be out of the city where the cell service was horrible anyways.

 

But for now, Yuri was more than content to fall asleep in Otabek’s arms.


End file.
